Kukla's Korner Hockey

But the arrival of the NFL and Major League Baseball less than 15 miles from HP Pavilion could cause economic headaches for the South Bay’s lone major sports franchise.
Most sports fans don’t have unlimited amounts of money for tickets and merchandise, and could find it just as easy to spend it on the A’s and 49ers instead of the Sharks, though academic analysts say that shouldn’t be a major concern for the NHL team….
Sponsorships could be the area in which the Sharks are most vulnerable.
Though the situation is improving, the team’s sponsorship income still isn’t where it was in 2004 when the NHL canceled its season because of a labor dispute. And sponsorship provides 15 to 25 percent of his team’s revenue, Jamison said.
The Sharks should expect their sponsors to be courted by other pro teams that relocate to the South Bay, said Paul Staudohar, a professor of business administration at Cal State-East Bay.